Return of Kings promotes misogyny

Anti-feminist group Return of Kings gains traction

Marie O’Connor, Staff Reporter

Men from the organization Return of Kings were called together to meet up on Feb. 6 and share the ideas of anti-feminist activist and founder of the organization, Daryush Valizadeh, and join in “pro-rape” protests.

The organization, spread across 43 countries, is dedicated to masculinity, and the preservation of the patriarchy. Women, gay and trans men, and men under 21 are banned from attending these world-wide meet ups and from participating in the organization completely.

The Feb. 6 meet up was, in Valizadeh’s words, an attempt to allow members to make “normal friends” without having to hide behind a computer screen for fear of consequences.

According to the Return of Kings website, “[ROK] aims to usher the return of the masculine man in a world where masculinity is being increasingly punished and shamed in favor of creating an androgynous and politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men.”

The group has caused outrage world-wide, spurring petitions to ban the group and to officially label it a hate or terrorist organization. Lindy West from The Guardian wrote, “They worship a model of gender politics so retrograde that [Valizadeh] explicitly recommends his followers move to developing countries as impoverished women are easier to manipulate into submission.”

The site is filled with articles about masculinity and being more of a man, with articles about how to raise girls, and how to properly treat a woman interspersed throughout. There are titles such as, “Five reasons to date a woman with an eating disorder,” or “Five reasons you shouldn’t feel guilty about European colonialism.” It is these beliefs expressed through misogynistic articles that have put the organization under fire.

One of the group’s most controversial stance is what has been labeled a “pro rape campaign.” Although Valizadeh has recently stated that any references to legalizing rape were simply “satire,” he did publish an article in which he wrote, “By attempting to teach men not to rape, what we have actually done is teach women not to care about being raped, not to protect themselves from easily preventable acts, and not to take responsibility for their actions…. [I] am sure I have the solution: Make rape legal if done on private property.”

Despite the claim that the legalizing rape come was meant to be satire, there has still been serious backlash from not only feminist groups and the media, but also from governments around in countries scheduled to host one of these meet ups.

According to the Washington Times, “Mayors in the U.K., Australia and Canada have publicly condemned the blogger, and petitions have been launched to revoke his travel rights. A U.K. petition calling for him to be banned from the country before scheduled meet-ups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff has surpassed 50,000 signatures, even though he is not expected to be present at those meetings.”

Despite the intention of creating a safe place for members of this organization to meet up, in an ironic turn, the event was eventually canceled due to members feeling unsafe and threatened.

Not only was the whole organization targeted for their views, but according to The Guardian, “The online vigilante group Anonymous circulated [Valizadeh’s] address and phone number, and the Daily Mail published photos of him in the doorway of a house in the Washington D.C. area, where the supposed globetrotter apparently lives with his mother.”

Even though the group is insistent on not being shamed or punished for their beliefs, and coming out of the shadows of the Internet, the uproar from countries around the world put a stop to the meet ups on Feb. 6.

Valizadeh announced, in a post on the ROK website on Feb. 3, “I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6, especially since most of the meet ups can not be made private in time.”